Color | Color balance

Use this option to set the type of color balance you want for each image.
The default setting of White Balance is appropriate for typical lighting
conditions. See the topic "Adjusting Color Balance" for
general guidance on using Neutral and Auto levels to handle
these cases if White Balance is not right.

None

The black and white points aren't used at all, and
the image is only corrected for the CCD's color response
(if the Media option is set to Image) or by the
film's color response. This image is gamma corrected.

Manual

Both the black and white points are used to
stretch the image's intensity range. However, the relative
ratios of red, green, and blue are specified manually.

Neutral

Both the black and white points are used to
stretch the image's intensity range. However, the relative
ratios of red, green, and blue are kept constant.

Tungsten

Both the black and white points are adjusted
to compensate for an image lit by tungsten light (i.e. a normal
incandescent light bulb). This removes the reddish cast from
indoor pictures taken without a flash.

Fluorescent

Both the black and white points are adjusted
to compensate for an image lit by fluorescent light. This removes the
greenish cast from indoor pictures lit by fluorescent lights or
lit by flash.

Night

Both the black and white points are adjusted
to compensate for an image taken at night. The white balance
is determined from the darkest 10% of the image, which
often produces the best results when images have bright
fluorescent or incandescent lights that are greenish
or yellowish.

Auto levels

This is a simple mapping of the darkest
color to 0.00 intensity and the brightest color to 0.95 intensity.

White balance

VueScan analyzes the image and adjusts it to make neutral colors
appear more neutral.

Landscape

VueScan analyzes the image and adjusts it to make neutral colors
appear more neutral, and sky blue and green foliage colors more lifelike.

Portrait

VueScan analyzes the image and adjusts it to make neutral colors
appear more neutral and skin tones more lifelike.

Color | Neutral red/green/blue

This option is normally set by clicking with the right
mouse button on a neutral color in the image.

Professional Option: This option is displayed when
Input | Lock image color isn't set, and when
"Color | Color balance" is set to "Manual".

Color | Black point (%)

The black point is used by the color balance
algorithm and is computed by using the histogram of each color
in the image. Use this option to leave the black point at
the minimum intensity (0%), or to choose the black point such that
some percentage of the pixels in the image are below the black
point.

The default black point is 0. Setting a higher value will cause
tones close to black to become pure black, which can improve
contrast. However, setting the black point too high will cause shadow
detail to be lost.

Professional Option: This option is displayed when
"Color | Color balance" is set and
Input | Lock image color isn't set.

Color | Black point red/green/blue

This option lets you set the
black point manually. Note that these values are in linear space,
not gamma corrected space, so the only practical way to use
these values is to use the Input | Lock image color option.

Color | White point (%)

The white point is used by the color balance
algorithm and is computed by using the histogram of each color
in the image. Use this option to leave the white point at
the maximum intensity (0%), or to choose the white point such that
some percentage of the pixels in the image are above the white
point.

The default white point is 1% (that is, the brightest 1% of pixels
are all converted to pure white). Setting a higher value will
cause tones close to white to become pure white. This can improve
contrast and overall intensity of the image. Setting the white
point too high will cause details in areas of highlights (e.g.
the gray puffs of a cloud) to be lost, making the image look flat.

Professional Option: This option is displayed when
"Color | Color balance" is set and
Input | Lock image color isn't set.

Color | White point red/green/blue

This option lets you set the
white point manually. Note that these values are in linear space,
not gamma corrected space, so the only practical way to use
these values is to use the Input | Lock image color option.

Color | Slide/Negative/B/W vendor/brand/type

Use these options
to set up the film type for various settings for the
Input | Media option.

Choose the appropriate vendor, brand and type from the list. Examine
the edge of the film around the sprockets to determine the type.

If your film is not listed, the generic option is often a good choice.

Standard Option: This option is displayed when
Input | Media is set to a film type.

Color | Scanner/Printer/Film/Output/Monitor color space

(Professional Edition only)

Use these options to set the color space. A color space is a
combination of color primaries and white point. For most
situations, the default color space is probably best.

Color spaces are used to provide a well-known standard
that ensures a given color is the same in one medium (e.g.
the display monitor) as it is in others (e.g. printed
output). If you use specific color spaces, you must
ensure that all other software, printing, etc. that operates
on that source uses the same color space. Color spaces
are an advanced topic -- use them only if you understand
and need them.

The Scanner color space is the color space used by a scanner,
raw scan file or raw digital camera file.
It is also the name of the ICC file that
gets written when "Profile | Profile scanner" is chosen. There
are two options for Scanner color space - built-in, which
is the color space of a pre-profiled scanner, and "ICC profile",
which is an ICC profile produced by the "Profile | Profile scanner" command.

The Printer color space is used to control how the colors look
when they are sent to your printer. You should normally use the
default setting unless you're profiling your printer.

The Film color space is an advanced option for adjusting
for the color of film stocks.

The Output color space is used when writing images to JPEG,
TIFF, PDF and Index files.

Note that if you use the Apple RGB, ColorMatch RGB, ProPhoto RGB
or ECI RGB color space, the image gamma will be 1.8. If
you use any other color space, the image gamma will be 2.2.

You can change the image gamma by using the "Color | Image brightness"
option. This is a multiplier of the gamma of the color space
chosen.

The Monitor color space is the color space used to display
images in the Preview and Scan tabs. The default value
is usually correct for most systems.

Standard Option: This option is always displayed.

Color | Scanner/Printer/Film/File/Monitor ICC profile

(Professional Edition only)

If you set this option to "ICC profile",
you can specify the name of an ICC profile.

The Scanner, Printer and Film ICC profiles are normally read-only,
but will also be written when the "Profile | Profile scanner/printer/film"
commands are used.

Professional Option: This option is displayed when the color
space is set to "ICC profile".

Color | Scanner/Printer/Film ICC description

(Professional Edition only)

Use this option to add a description to the ICC profile when
it's created. This description is used by programs like
Photoshop(TM) to identify a profile.

Professional Option: This option is displayed when the color
space is set to "ICC profile".

Color | Scanner/Printer/Film IT8 data

(Professional Edition only)

Every IT8 or Q60 target has an associated data file
that describes the measured color at each square in the
target. This file is read when the "Profile | Profile scanner" command
is used. If you don't have a data file for your target, the default
IT8 target colors will be used.

Standard Option: This option is displayed when the color
space is set to "ICC profile".

Color | Show IT8 outline

(Professional Edition only)

When this option is enabled, a grid is overlaid over the crop box
showing where the IT8 target locations are. Note that this grid
only outlines the grey bar at the bottom of the target and
the first 19 columns of the color boxes.

Professional Option: This option is always displayed.

Color | View color

Use this option to view all three color channels normally ("RGB")
or to view the red, green, blue or infrared channel alone.

The default value is "RGB".

Professional Option: This option is always displayed.

Color | Pixel colors

Use this option to enable setting the clipped black and white
colors, the out of gamut colors and the infrared defect colors.

Professional Option: This option is always displayed.

Color | Clipped black color

Use this option to show the pixels that have at least
one color clipped to zero intensity.

These colored pixels are not written to output files,
but are displayed in the Preview and Scan tabs.

Professional Option: This option is displayed when
"Color | Pixel colors" is set.

Color | Clipped white color

Use this option to show the pixels that have at least
one color clipped to maximum intensity.

These colored pixels are not written to output files,
but are displayed in the Preview and Scan tabs.

Professional Option: This option is displayed when
"Color | Pixel colors" is set.

Color | Out of gamut color

Use this option to show the pixels that have at least
one color component that is out of gamut.

These colored pixels aren't written to output files,
but are displayed in the Preview and Scan tabs.

Professional Option: This option is displayed when
"Color | Pixel colors" is set.